Infinity, The Arcade Age-Chapter 382: Chin Gentsai’s Cooperation

On the street, with heavy footsteps echoing in the air, the battered and bloodied Chin Gentsai carried his disciple's corpse, staggering forward.

But after only a few steps, he suddenly came to a halt.

Because ahead of him, under the darkness of night, a tall, broad-shouldered figure suddenly appeared.

Standing within the shadows was Qin Ming, his face expressionless as he looked at Chin Gentsai.

And Chin, with his disciple's arm slung over his shoulder, stood under the streetlight and also stared blankly at Qin Ming without a change in expression.

He recognized Qin Ming—after all, the guy's fighting style in the ring was too unorthodox, it was hard not to notice. Not to mention, the man had just helped him out.

But despite standing before the person who had essentially saved his life, Chin didn't feel the least bit happy. On the contrary, a chill spread from the bottom of his heart, and his expression turned wary.

Because he could sense it—that thick killing intent emanating from the other party.

He wanted to kill him!

The two stood silently in the middle of the street, locked in a tense standoff. A few seconds passed before Qin Ming finally began to stride toward Chin Gentsai. As he closed the distance, his hand gradually clenched into a fist, blood coiling around his arm.

Chin's pupils shrank upon seeing this, and he gently laid down his disciple's body.

Then, without warning, he snatched up his wine gourd and took a deep swig. After lowering it, his blurry eyes met Qin Ming's, and he spoke in a slurred, drunken tone.

"Old now... not what I used to be... if this were twenty years ago, I'd have taken all of you out myself..."

Qin Ming smirked.

"Well then, old man—twenty years from now, anyone could come and dig up your grave."

"You practice Iron Body arts, don't you? To refine it to this degree... you're a rare talent. Too bad you took the wrong path. Something went wrong in your training."

"Doesn't matter. As long as it doesn't stop me from killing."

As he spoke, Qin Ming's hand turned into a clawed tiger's paw, instantly forming a blood sphere.

Seeing this, Chin Gentsai forced himself to endure the pain wracking his body and assumed the opening stance of Drunken Fist.

Just as the tension between the two was about to snap and a clash seemed inevitable—

A sudden burst of sirens rang out in the distance, and a flood of flashing lights swept around the street corner.

Spotting the rapidly approaching police cars and the sudden appearance of Athena Asamiya at the far end of the road, Qin Ming's eye twitched. The blood orb in his palm instantly dissipated.

He turned his head toward Chin Gentsai. After a brief silence, Qin Ming's expression shifted into a dazzling, innocent smile. He reached out a hand toward Chin.

"So, old man—need a hand?"

Chin looked down at the hand being offered so warmly, then looked back up at Qin Ming, whose killing intent had vanished without a trace. His arm slowly lowered, and a drunken smile appeared on his own face as well.

"Of course. This old man's always liked helpful young folks."

The two, who had been about to go for each other's throats, switched up their attitudes in an instant—with all the smoothness of a well-rehearsed act.

Qin Ming had changed because people had arrived. It would be too troublesome to start something now and risk getting caught up in more mess.

Chin Gentsai, meanwhile, was wary of Qin Ming's strength. He didn't want to risk his other disciple getting targeted next. If he could avoid a fight, better to avoid it.

As for that intense killing intent just moments ago? Let's just pretend that never happened.

Qin Ming lifted Chin up with one hand, and with the other, hoisted Choi Bounge's corpse. Under the glare of the police lights, he strode forward.

After a few steps, he suddenly muttered quietly.

"Hey, about earlier..."

Before he could finish, Chin interrupted with a drunken slur.

"What earlier? I was drunk—I didn't see a thing."

"I don't mean that 'earlier,' I mean... at the gourd... that earlier..."

"Didn't see any gourd either."

"Mm. That's fine then."

Clearly, Chin Gentsai knew how to read the room very, very well...

The sudden murder case during the night quickly attracted the attention of the authorities.

In fact, it was hard not to notice—after all, what happened tonight wasn't just one or two isolated incidents.

The eliminated adventurers began hunting down plot-relevant characters in small groups—some succeeded, others were killed instead.

Add to that the fighting between adventurers on both sides trying to earn contribution points, and by the time the night was over, more than a hundred people had died in this city alone!

A massive deployment of law enforcement followed, and the wail of sirens echoed across the city.

Even so, the King of Fighters tournament continued as planned, with no signs of being suspended.

The organizers had already invested heavily in promoting the event and had successfully boosted tourism through it.

Until they'd recouped their costs and made a profit, it didn't matter what happened—they weren't stopping.

As for the fighters themselves? Even less likely to drop out. These were all masters with reputations to uphold.

If they ran away just because people were dying nearby, or because there were rumors of people hunting fighters, what face would they have left?

And so, despite the chaos tearing through the city, the tournament pressed on as scheduled.

Though things were a little... different for Qin Ming today.

Because now, his team had gained two new members.

Those two were Chin Gentsai and Athena Asamiya.

They had come to seek refuge. After yesterday's battle, they already understood how troublesome the enemy was. One of their companions had even been hunted down and killed.

Chin Gentsai was seriously injured this time and had also been poisoned. There was no way he would recover in a short time, so for the sake of safety, he had to find someone strong to rely on—not just for himself, but also for his precious disciple.

And Qin Ming's team—Team Todoh—was the shelter he chose, even though Qin Ming had tried to kill him the day before.

Sitting in the contestant's seating area, staring blankly at the dance performance on stage, Qin Ming wore a cold, expressionless face.

Next to him, Chin Gentsai—bandaged and still enjoying the show—glanced around carefully.

After making sure no one was paying attention to him, he sneakily pulled out his wine gourd and tried to take a sip, only to have it forcibly snatched away by Athena Asamiya beside him.

Having failed to drink, Chin smacked his lips in resignation. Just then, Qin Ming suddenly spoke up.

"Old man."

"Hmm?"

"Er... old master, you said you could help me learn to control the power inside me—was that true?"

As he spoke, Qin Ming turned his head to look at Chin Gentsai, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.

The main reason he had agreed to protect the two of them was because Chin had suddenly told him the night before that he could teach him how to control his power.

Qin Ming, who had long been plagued by the wild energy inside him, immediately accepted the offer without hesitation. But now that he had cooled off a bit, doubts began to creep in again.

If it had been Takuma Sakazaki offering help, Qin Ming would have believed it—after all, Takuma's strength was undeniable.

But Chin Gentsai? Sure, the old man's martial arts were powerful—Qin Ming had no problem admitting he'd lose in technique—but his overall strength didn't seem all that extraordinary.

In fact, given his own abilities, Qin Ming figured that in a one-on-one, he might not even lose. Could this old man really understand how to help him control his inner power?

As if sensing the skepticism in Qin Ming's gaze, Chin Gentsai chuckled and said cheerfully:

"Yeah, this old man's body might be wearing down, but my mind's still sharp. Do you know what I'm most famous for back in Huaxia? Teaching disciples."

He turned to look at Athena Asamiya, pride flashing in his eyes.

"All of my students are extraordinary talents—so gifted that others couldn't teach them even if they tried. Without guidance, they either die from their own abilities or become slaves to their power, turning into savage monsters. Kid, you've got potential and great strength, but it's a shame you never met the right teacher. Otherwise, your achievements wouldn't be limited to this."

"So how are you going to teach me? And when?"

"At night—when everything's quiet and still."

"What, training at night has some special benefits?"

"No, it's just that during the day, this old man still wants to watch the matches."

"...I should've just left you to die yesterday."

Qin Ming scowled and turned away, watching Chin Gentsai happily shift his focus back to the tournament.

Then his eyes drifted toward Athena Asamiya.

Right now, her mental state was a mess. After all, her childhood friend—someone she'd known all her life—had been killed without reason. The shock had hit her hard. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

Chin Gentsai, having lived for decades, had seen his share of life and death. Even if he was grieving, he knew how to keep it hidden.

But Athena was different. She had never suffered any major hardships before, and this event had shaken her so badly that even her psychic powers were starting to become unstable.

Qin Ming simply gave her a quiet glance and didn't get involved.

After all, this type wasn't his thing. High school girls? Fun to look at, but definitely not his cup of tea when it came to dealing with emotions or drama.

Someone like Kasamoto Eri, for example—if she saw Qin Ming killing someone, she'd probably hand him a knife, maybe even join in with a few stabs and kicks of her own.

But Athena? A delicate flower raised in a greenhouse—if she saw something like that, she'd probably try to stop him on the spot.

Delicate flowers weren't for him. He'd stick with his carnivorous ones.

Besides, how was he even supposed to comfort her? Tell her it was okay? That he already avenged her childhood friend? That he'd bent the guy like a sugarcane stalk? That he'd even snatched the relic that her friend had dropped?

Should he open the loot box now and show her her childhood friend's precious artifact? Might even get a head as a bonus!

You think telling her that would make her feel better?

That's right—Sie Kensou's key was already in Qin Ming's hands.

When the fight broke out, maybe it was because those adventurers had only just teamed up and didn't trust each other. They had sealed the key using a special tool, preventing it from being stored in anyone's inventory.

The seal would last for twelve hours—that was their agreed-upon timeframe for splitting the loot.

But in the end? The loot didn't get split. Everyone just died, and Qin Ming ended up reaping the reward.

After all his enemies were dead, the key naturally became his spoils of war.

(End of Chapter)